In 1st at-bat post-recall, Pirates' Nick Gonzales hits RBI single

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales is not wired to shield himself from hard truths, however unflattering.

Last year, after making his MLB debut with the Pirates and playing in 35 games with the club, his .209/.268/.348 slash line offered no illusions that, offensively, considerable improvements were needed for him to sustain a presence in the big leagues.

“I’m not a guy who’s going to lie to myself by any means,” he said at PiratesFest in early January. “I’d rather be thrown into the fire and told, ‘Hey, this is what you need to work on and improve on it.’ I don’t like it when anybody or any coach lies to me or sugarcoats me or anything like that. I want to hear it how it is so I can improve on it.”

During the offseason and spring training, Gonzales sought out and received tough constructive criticism of his hitting from the Pirates.

The 24-year-old took steps in the right direction through 35 Grapefruit League at-bats during spring, batting .257, but didn’t make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster.

However, after going on a tear at Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the year — Gonzales was hitting .358 with four homers, 14 doubles, 19 RBIs and a 1.039 OPS — the Pirates called him up ahead of a three-game weekend series at PNC Park vs. the Chicago Cubs.

“They presented me with, ‘This is where your swing’s at, and this is where the big-league average or a big-league hitter should be or is at,’ ” Gonzales said Friday. “Took it, needed to work on it, needed to do it, and I was able to make the adjustments.”

Gonzales, Pittsburgh’s first-round (No. 7 overall) pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, started at second base Friday, batting fifth in his first big-league action of 2024.

He did not wait long to make an impact.

After Andrew McCutchen got aboard in the bottom of the first via a fielding error, Oneil Cruz and Rowdy Tellez followed with walks. Gonzales then ripped a two-run single into left field on the first pitch he saw from Chicago’s Javier Assad.

“That was really nice for me to help the team as best as I can,” Gonzales said. “ … That first hit or whatever it may be, you kind of feel it on your shoulders, so to do it first pitch is nice. I was definitely looking to be aggressive within my area where I was looking.”

Nick Gonzales returns to the majors in style. pic.twitter.com/awBvlzXFIt

— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) May 11, 2024

Gonzales came to bat for the second time in the bottom of the third.

While he quickly got into an 0-2 hole, Gonzales battled back and managed to contribute a productive out, flying out to center field and advancing Cruz from second to third base.

Gonzales, along with his Pirates teammates, didn’t offer much else at the plate as the game went on. He struck out in his final two at-bats of the evening, finishing the night 1 of 4 with two RBIs in the 7-2 Pirates loss.

To make room for Gonzales on the 26-man roster, the Pirates optioned fellow infielder Alika Williams to Triple-A on Friday.

Moving forward, Gonzales can expect to split reps at second base with Jared Triolo.

Gonzales also was utilized at third base and shortstop with the Indians this season and in 2023, increasing the ways he can penetrate the nightly lineup.

Ultimately, it was Gonzales’ red-hot bat that earned him a promotion back to the big leagues.

“He’s been swinging the bat really well,” manager Derek Shelton said. “Talk about pushing your way to the big leagues. He’s pushed his way to the big leagues with what he’s done in Indianapolis, and, hopefully, it provides us a little bit of a spark offensively.”